Good Boys
by rosemarried
Summary: Seamus has no desire to dance anymore, and certainly not with Lavender Brown. Maybe with someone else though... For the Character Diversity Boot Camp Challenge on HPFC. Prompt - 'Dance'. Song quoted is Free Fallin' by Tom Petty.


**AN: This was written for the Character Diversity Bootcamp Challenge on HPFC. The prompt was "dance". **

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Seamus sipped his punch from the table and watched the couples dancing out on the floor. The bright lights were beginning to give him a headache, and the loud music wasn't helping. Lavender sat next to him at the table, fidgeting and occasionally asking if he'd like to go back out and dance some more. Seamus had no desire to dance with her right now though; if he was going to get back on the dance floor at all, it was going to be with someone else.

It was a while before he was able to spot his friend through all the people. Dean sat at a table near the back, chatting with Luna Lovegood. Seamus quickly excused himself to the bathroom, wanting to make sure Lavender didn't follow him. He made his way to Dean's table and slid into the seat on the other side of him.

"Enjoying the dance, Dean, Luna?" Dean grinned and Luna nodded.

"Oh, yes." she said mildly, watching the Weird Sister's performance intensely. "I like this band very much."

"Yeah. I've never heard of them before now, though." Dean commented.

"They're a popular wizard rock band." Seamus explained. "Surprised Dumbledore got them; they're in high demand right now."

"Wizard rock?" Dean blinked. "There's a whole genre? So…. there's more wizard bands?"

"'Course there is!" Seamus laughed and Dean blushed slightly, realizing his mistake. "We listen to music the same as Muggles do."

Suddenly Luna stood and walked away, towards the dance floor. "Where's she off to?" Seamus asked. Dean shrugged.

"She just leaves when she thinks the conversations over, usually."

"Bit odd."

"You get used to it." He took a sip of punch. There was a moment of silence between them, and the Weird Sister's switched songs. Seamus didn't recognize the opening riff, but he could tell it was a slow song. Dean suddenly looked at them with an interest he hadn't shown before. "This is a Muggle song." He told him.

"Really?" Seamus asked, looking at the band too. "Why're they playing Muggle songs?" Dean shrugged. He watched him out of the corner of his eye, pretending to watch the Weird Sisters play. He looked as though he would very much like to go up and dance to what was probably the only song he knew that he'd heard tonight. Now was his chance.

He cleared his throat. "Danced at all tonight?" he asked, hoping he came off as casual. Dean shrugged.

"Just one song, with Luna." Seamus raised his eyebrows, and Dean hastily added, "Just as friends, though. What about you?"

"A couple with Lavender, but…" he shrugged. "She just wanted to keep going. I had to take a break." Dean nodded.

"It's tiring," he agreed. He gestured to the people out on the floor, many of whom had begun when the music first started and hadn't stopped. "I don't know how they do it, just keep dancing for hours like that."

"This ones a bit slower, though." he continued, not sure how to proceed. "Did you…" he paused, trying to find words that would convey what he wanted but wouldn't scare Dean away. He had no idea how receptive Dean would be. They'd never talked about or insinuated the possibility of being anything more than friends.

Dean saved him the trouble, much to his relief. He downed the last of his punch and stood, straightening his dress robes. He held a hand out to Seamus, smiling. "Wanna dance?" he asked. Seamus grinned and took the hand.

They made their way out to the dance floor, Dean still holding his hand. Seamus felt like fireworks were going off inside him, but he tried to push it down. _He's my best friend. Dancing with him doesn't gotta mean what I want it to, _he reminded himself. Dean might not see this in a romantic way.

Everyone was staring at them, and it was making him feel somewhat self-conscious. Dean didn't even seem to notice them. Seamus held his head high and followed his lead. They reached the floor and Dean slipped his arms around Seamus's waist. Seamus put his arms around Dean's neck and allowed the slightly taller boy to pull him close.

Seamus giggled nervously. "Why'm I the girl?" he asked.

"Problem?"

He shook his head. "Nah," was all he managed.

Seamus felt him grin against his ear. "Alright, then."

They shuffled side to side with just as much talent as their peers around them, which was to say none at all. Seamus had a feeling the stare-ers were not judging them for their dancing skills, however. He tried to ignore it again, but it was difficult. He imagined he could hear the whispers: "_D'you see those two? What the hell are they doing?!" "Are they mad?" "Two boys dancing together? Gross!" _

"Dean," he managed after a minute more. "They're all watching us."

"Yeah." Dean agreed. There was a moment of silence. "Does it bother you?" Seamus took a moment to decide how to answer that.

"Not that they're watching, no. Just the way they're watching. Like it's wrong." he said slowly. "Like they're judging us."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, I get it." he said. "They don't have any right to judge us."

"No," Seamus agreed. Dean held him firmer and he could just imagine the look Dean was giving them now. It must have been scary, because a surprising number of people seemed sufficiently intimidated by the gangly boy. Seamus knew better than anyone that Dean could be fierce when he wanted to be. He just usually didn't.

The song must be nearly over, Seamus thought, because it felt like they had been dancing for eternity. He tried to close his eyes, to just enjoy the last minute or so, but all he could think about was his reputation, and god, what must Lavender be thinking right now? Dean must have sensed his tension. He bent his head slightly so his lips were next to Seamus's ear and sang the last few lines softly along with the band.

"_I wanna glide down over Mulholland, I wanna write her name in the sky…_". Seamus's eyes fluttered close and the tension ebbed away. What was it about Dean's voice that calmed him so much? "_I wanna free fall out into nothing. I'm gonna leave this world for a while._" How fitting, he thought. That felt exactly like what was happening to him, only he was floating up.

The chorus repeated again and then the song was over. It took them a minute to realize, to come back out of the trance they had fallen into. Seamus blinked, feeling as though he'd just appeared in the middle of the dance floor after having been away. A small circle had formed around them that he somehow hadn't noticed in all his fretting about being watched. People who'd been too absorbed in their partners before to notice had come over to see what all the fuss was about as well. Seamus felt his face go bright red and he jumped away. He couldn't bring himself to look Dean in the eye. Dean, however, was grinning ear to ear.

Someone in the crowd starting clapping. Quickly the surrounding students followed, and then the rest of the students and the teachers and the Weird Sisters were all clapping for them.

"All we did was dance." Seamus muttered to his friend, still blushing. He looked around in bewilderment at the sea of fellow students, congratulating him on swaying in place for a few minutes.

"It's new and different to them." Dean said with a shrug. "I bet plenty of the girls have girlfriends and the boy's boyfriends but none of them are brave enough to dance with their partners."

"So… we just became the bloody gay icon of the school?" Seamus asked, annoyance in his voice.

"What, you're not up for that? Suppose you're not up for being my boyfriend either, then. " Dean said with a sly tone as the group surrounding them dispersed. The Weird Sisters launched into their rock cover of "A Cauldron Full of Hot, Boiling Love". Seamus opened his mouth and then closed it again, staring at the taller boy in bewilderment. Had Dean just asked him what he thought he had?

Seamus cleared his throat and tried for words again. "So… You want to… I mean." He stopped again. "I could do that." He finally squeaked out. How did he get to be the shy one of them?

Dean grinned and pulled him close again. Seamus's hands went back around his neck and he leaned into him. This time, hardly anyone stared. They were too busy with their partners, or maybe they'd noticed how uncomfortable he had been and decided to leave him alone. He found it was much easier to slip away this time, and he finally understood how they could stay out here and do this all night. He could stay in this place forever if Dean would just keep holding him.

Seamus never thought he would get him. Dean had never shown any real interest in boys, but then again he'd never shown much interest in girl's either. He had seemed to be pretty blase about the whole dating thing. There was that couple of months in third year that he kept staring at Zakir Akram, though… and that time he wouldn't shut up about Fred and George Weasley and their inventions. God, how hadn't he noticed that Dean was gay, or at least into guys? He was supposed to be his best friend, and best friends knew these things about each other. How long had they skirted around each other, both wanting more but neither daring to go for it?

He lifted his head from his shoulder and looked at Dean again, needing to reaffirm that it was really him and that he wasn't imagining the whole thing. Dean smiled and leaned his head down, touching his forehead to his. Seamus stared into his dark eyes and lost track of his thoughts. All he could focus on, all he wanted to focus on was this. Time fell away, and they danced and danced and Seamus was never happier.


End file.
